Welcome back to all our students and staff as we all return to onsite learning. I cannot describe the happiness we feel to see our students back at school.

Planning for the Future

As you may have seen on our social media site, we have been fortunate to receive $992,000 from the Victorian Government. This funding will be used to develop designs to upgrade and modernise our school.

South Oakleigh College began the journey towards this moment in 2018. In 2019, over 400 local parents, students and staff were engaged in the consultation process through workshops, surveys and other forums.

We are currently preparing the school’s School Asset Management Plan - Phase 1 (AMP1) which will then be sent to the Region and The Victorian School Building Authority. There is a very short time-line to complete this report but with the work we have done over the past two years we are well-placed to hand it in on time. Our aim is to ensure the whole school community benefits from this plan.

The plan takes into account the following:

Educational directions – opportunities and challenges;
Educational specifications;
Enrolment and space allocations.

I will continue to update you in future newsletters as we progress through the process.

Enrolments 2021

In the absence of our College Tours, it is great to see that our Year 7 enrolments have significantly increased and in 2021 we will have eight Year 7 classes. This clearly demonstrates the positive growth and future direction of our school. From our own data-collection and through engagement with our own students, the key reasons for this growth is attributed to the educational opportunities offered to all and the support given to all students to achieve their personal best in all aspects of their education and personal growth.

We look forward to welcoming our newest members of our school community in 2021, where we will see our overall enrolments move steadily towards 680. Based on our increased enrolments, DET has capped our future Year 7 numbers. As a local Government school, we look forward to offering a 21st Century education to our future students: providing them with the skills and resources to not only be lifelong learners but caring and respectful members of our community.

Year 12 Celebrations & Beyond

As I write this we have concluded our assembly with the Class of 2020 - an assembly full of ritual, but also significant as we move into COVID normal and a new way of celebrating our Year 12s. It was a fitting valedictory tribute to our students’ achievements over the past 6 years, and more so this year.

Particular thanks to:

• Our Senior School Director of Students, Ms Grace Terdich

• Our Careers Advisor, Ms Aviva Mulloy

• Our Heads of House, Ms Stav Kantzas, Mr Bill Orologos, Mr Tim Columbus and Mr Chris Blattman

• Our Administrative Assistant, Ms Toni-Lee Clark

• Our Middle School Director, Mr Damien Landini

• All the staff who joined with the celebrations and tributes to the class of 2020.

I am immensely proud of our South Oakleigh staff who always go above and beyond for their students and have been particularly conscious of the Class of 2020 to support them at all times.

We appreciate that leaving school is a significant moment in everyone’s lives. For our Class of 2020, this period of their lives marks many transitions to adulthood. Independence, the right to drive, the right to vote, the right to enter licensed premises, but more importantly, the obligation to live a responsible adult life.

Remember: With rights come responsibilities. With privileges come obligations.

This has been an unusual and challenging year for all of us, but at this time, I especially acknowledge all of the members of the class of 2020. We appreciate the disruption and uncertainty that has affected them more than any other group in this school’s history. I will always regret that they never had a normal senior year to demonstrate their enormous capacity. I am grateful, however, that they are all safe.

I will also acknowledge that this year level have actively contributed to assisting many less fortunate than themselves throughout their time at SOC, through the many charitable contributions at the school and at state level. We now look forward to their academic and life pursuits and know that they have once again raised the bar. This year level has always been keen participants in everything the school has offered and always challenged others and themselves to be the best they can be at all times. I can only dream of what they will accomplish in their lifetimes. Their potential is unlimited.

I would like to particularly thank our College Captains, Andrew Leap and Stacie Varsamidis, who have been exceptional role-models and terrific examples of South Oakleigh College student leadership. I am especially grateful for the example of their character, the example of their virtues and the example of our core values. Their hard work and dedication to their peers and the school are not only to be commended but applauded and I know there are many out there who aspire to be like them - humble, hard-working and happy leaders - leaders who have known the way and shown the way, as has every Captain and every member of this Class of 2020. They have all demonstrated the College’s Core Values of High Expectations Respect Responsibility Resilience Teamwork.

This year in particular, Resilience has been at the forefront and through this we know that ‘Knowledge will conquer all.’

I hope that for every student leaving the College this week, their life is happy, safe and fulfilled. I hope every one of them carries with them some aspect of their learning from South Oakleigh College and will never, ever, ever, give up on achieving the best they can every day of their lives. That they will "strive for personal excellence, by having the courage of their convictions and by being an active agent of change". That they will make the world a better place by their presence.

While this is an ending to the Class of 2020’s secondary schooling, it is also the beginning to the tremendous things ahead. On behalf of Mr Katsianos and Mr Picone, we wish them well in their exams and all their future endeavours.

It has been a privilege to be their Principal.

Helen Koziaris

Principal

Important Dates

Dates to Remember